The primary elections for New York’s 16th Congressional District, taking place on Tuesday, have seen record spending, with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) and a cryptocurrency Super Pac providing the lion’s share of the funding.
AdImpact, a group that tracks political advertising, reported earlier this week that the race between incumbent progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman and his challenger, George Latimer, has become “the most expensive House primary ever,” with more than $23 million spent on advertising. .
The two are vying to represent a district that includes parts of Bronx and Westchester counties. Latimer is leading in the polls, and if he wins, he will be the first challenger to successfully dethrone a member of the progressive ‘Squad’.
The massive amount of outside spending — much of which funds ads attacking Bowman and supporting Latimer — underlines Bowman’s precarious position as a high-profile “Squad” member whose criticism of Israel and outspoken support for Palestinian rights has angered the public. pro-Israel group. lobby.
But the race is more than a referendum on Israeli-Palestinian policy. It’s also a test for the Democratic party’s young progressive wing, which Bowman joined after winning an upset primary in 2020 and defeating former Rep. Eliot Engel, an incumbent who has held the office since 1989.
The race in New York has brought that divide — between a generation of left-leaning Democrats and their establishment colleagues — back to the fore.
Bowman’s most prominent supporters include Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (known as AOC), who will appear at a rally on Saturday to pick electors for the incumbent president. Meanwhile, Latimer has received the support of former Secretary of State and Democratic incumbent stalwart Hillary Clinton.
The race has turned ugly at times, with Latimer claiming during a debate that Bowman had received more support from Dearborn, Michigan – the only Arab-majority city in the US – than from his New York district.
Since October 7, Bowman has consistently spoken out against Israel’s military operations in Gaza — a key point of difference between the incumbent president and his challenger, who has said he supports a two-state solution in the region but has not called for a ceasefire. fire. Latimer has accused Bowman of inciting mobs in Congress and has said he would govern as a centrist — and avoided taking a position on tax hikes on the wealthy during a debate.
The proxy war between the left and right of the Democratic party has been amplified by dispersed outside spending. Super Pacs, which can spend unlimited money on ads advocating for or against candidates, had spent $20.3 million as of June 20, according to campaign finance data, which lags slightly behind AdImpact’s numbers.
A Guardian analysis of campaign finance data found that three Super Pacs spent nearly $18 million to dethrone Bowman. United Democracy Project (UDP), an Aipac-affiliated Super Pac, has spent more than $14.5 million supporting Latimer – the most the group has spent on a single race in its history. Latimer has also benefited from $1 million from the group Democratic Majority for Israel and $2 million from the crypto-backed group FairShake, according to Federal Election Commission data. Meanwhile, a coalition of 10 progressive outside groups has spent about $3 million in support of Bowman.
Both campaigns have also raised significant money in the form of direct campaign donations – unlike Super Pac spending, which does not go directly to campaigns – with Bowman raising $5.9 million and Latimer bringing in $5.7 million.
Of these contributions, a greater share of Bowman’s campaign money comes from small donors than Latimer’s — with a total of about $1.4 million in donations of less than $200, compared to Latimer’s about $320,000.
